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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The gift of relaxation

Holy balls, are you supposed to be sore after a massage? LOL Actually with as knotted up as I was, she had to go deep. (That's what he said)

I walked in to the room and she looked over my information sheet I had to fill out as a new client. I noted that my face (sinuses and TMJ issues from clenching my jaw for over 3 months), neck and shoulders were bunged up as well as a knot in my lower back. I pulled it two weeks ago after doing what I considered a pretty benign set of Russian twists but my back didn't agree. She answered any questions I had and said I could pick a different CD if the one she had in wasn't what I preferred and told me to disrobe to my comfort level though she'd need access to my back so unhook the bra if I wanted to keep it on. She said to get under the blanket on the heated table when I was ready and left the room to wash up. She was pretty quick and I had just gotten under when she knocked.

I told her that I was going to do it around the holidays but I got sick. She said it's actually best not to get a massage when you're sick because it can recirculate the illness and prolong it. So she said I did myself a favor and didn't even know it.

She started with my scalp and I'll be honest, I didn't care for that. I think it must've been part of the face massage or something but I was glad that was over. Then she did my face, sinuses and all of the muscles under my cheekbones into the joint where the jaw connects and moves. She said I was super tight and I likely clench in my sleep as well as when I'm awake. She said just being aware of it is the first step in helping to relieve constant pressure. I don't know if I'm the only one who does that or not but I'm going to incorporate some of her techniques over the next few weeks to try to keep those muscles from being so locked down.

Then it was on to the neck. I'm so used to the way the Mr (and most of us) massages me. Sit or stand behind and squeeze the shoulders then the neck. She had me lay face up and pretty much massaged completely from underneath...kneading, stretching and working over my left side which was pretty tight. She could feel it before I even mentioned where. She did the same on the right side. Then she did this thing when she had me arch my back a bit and slid both hands to my lower back and ran her fingers along the side of my spine with pressure. She called it "making me taller" and man did it feel good! Then she got to my head and lifted it and pulled gently to complete the stretch and repeated it.

Then it was time to flip for the lower back. As I flipped my spine did all kinds of crackety crackin'. She got in there good and even up further and explained when I told her "there too!" that it was where the muscle attached further up. She felt the hip muscle was pulling too and worked my left glute to release it so the lower back would eventually release. She got the other side as well and it was more sore than I realized but not quite as bad as the left.

It was almost time to finish up and she said she wanted to get my face again since I'd been compressed laying face down. She left so I could get dressed and she waited for me with a bottle of water to start drinking. I gave her a tip and told her I would likely be back.

I did enjoy my experience and I would do it again. I just wish it wasn't so pricey. ($70 with tip) I wish our insurance covered it like my mom's does. She gets 12 massages per year on them so wah wahhh for me. But I can see once or twice a year indulging in it especially with her. She was super nice, talkative to my liking (about 25% talking and 75% silence) and I felt totally comfortable with her.

So, thanks Mr for the gift! And no, this doesn't mean you get out of massaging my neck and shoulders unless you want to pay $150 a week. ;-)

If you get massages, what areas are your trouble spots?

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12 comments:

I'm glad you were able to get your massage finally and it sounds like it helped especially in the facial muscles. I am sure you will be able to get more and I will try my best to supplement things in the mean time :-)

I'm so glad you had a good experience!! I've been lucky enough to find a great massage therapist. I have a lot of back and chest issues (apparently I'm a little tense....what???) and I see her every other week. It is pricey but I feel so much better. Even though I do stretching at home there are just some spots that don't loosen up until she gets in there with her pokey little fingers and works them out. She's little but sometimes the next day I feel like a 500lb linebacker ran over my ass!!

Okay, yeah that linebacker thing is about what I'm dealing with. Actually, I feel like I've been love tapped my a Mack truck. I don't think if this is a normal feeling that it's something I could do very often. It hurt to lay in bed! LOL

OMG, I wanted to say "my hair is thinning, leave the follicles I have left!" I will tell her next time to skip the scalp thing or go considerably lighter. It just didn't set a good, relaxing tone for me wondering if she was going to come up with clumps of hair! LOL

So happy you had a good experience! Not a fan of scalp massage or my face either, but the rest? I think I'd go every day! I had a ruptured disc in my lower back that caused nerve damage, and the muscle running down my left leg is always wonky. A deep tissue massage of my butt cheek all the way to my foot feels amazing, even if I do feel like I've been hit by a bus later! I found that going weekly or bi-weekly for a month, then once a month after keeps everything loose and that feeling of being hit by a bus is less intense. :)

I'm glad it helps you so much! I was surprised how much release I could feel from my glute but she said "we sit on it, do stairs, exercise but then never show them any love!" Butt massages for everyone!

Your posts have made me think about booking another massage. Typically, I try to go a few times a year and usually after a long flight. My health insurance will cover up to $500 per year for massage treatments without a doctor's note. However, I have not had one since before Christmas and I am definitely due. I can feel my shoulder nagging at me now. I usually have the therapist focus on my shoulders, traps, and upper back, unless there is something specific giving me grief elsewhere.

I always forget how you can feel if it has been a while since your last massage. I've always been told to take it easy and drink lots of water afterwards, which will help with the healing. It has been a long time since I have felt the way you are describing.

I am glad that you enjoyed it though and will hopefully be back for another session. It is definitely something I encourage others to try.

Thanks for taking the time to comment! I appreciate thoughtful readers like you! If your comment doesn't show up right away, check back in a few minutes. I promise it'll get posted. The system can get a little glitchy. (Rude or spammy comments will be deleted. Fair warning.)

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I've lost over 200 lbs the old fashioned way with some more to go. I'm doing this with my hubby (The Mr) and he has lost 190 lbs so far. I wanted to share my journey as well and give people with a lot of weight to lose hope that this can be done without surgery or cutting out entire food groups! Passionate about photography, cooking, traveling, DIY and anything 80's.

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